Your Car Accident Claim
Opening a car accident claim is the start of your medical care for this car accident. After treating thousands of patients who have been injured in car accidents, one of the most common things I hear is, "my insurance company will protect me, I have been a loyal customer for years."
Unfortunately, your own insurance company has one goal: save themselves money by paying the smallest amount they can pay on any claim, even if another insurance company is responsible for the bills. The insurance company is loyal only to the financial bottom line, not to you personally, even if you have been a loyal customer for 25 years.
Attorney? Or No Attorney?
Why am I talking about an attorney now? Aren't we talking about the car accident claims process? Seems off topic I realize. However, an attorney sometimes needs to be brought in at the beginning, soon after your car accident. Sometimes the injury is so serious, or your insurance company, or the company for the driver that hit you is so aggressive, that even if you followed every tip I could give you, you need the protection an attorney can bring.
The reason for this entire site is to help people manage their claims, get help if they have been injured, and not get taken advantage of by ruthless insurance companies. After a car accident, you have enough to worry about.
If you were not at fault in your accident, and you were injured, it is my experience that an attorney will be an essential member of your team. You can bring an attorney on at the beginning, middle or towards the end of your claim, your choice. Just remember: talking to an attorney is free for the first consultation, and this consultation can help you know if an attorney can help.
Most importantly, talking to an attorney does not mean you are suing the other driver. It is incredibly rare for an attorney to ever sue the driver who hit you. Your attorney can protect you and reach a settlement in most cases without ever filing a lawsuit!
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10 Essential Car Accident Claim Tips:
I have written these tips to try to help you have the smoothest and least stressful experience you can have with your claim, these tips are based on years of experience treating patients and working with the insurance companies for those patients.
I know not all of these will apply to every accident. These are the 10 tips I think will help with most car accident claims.
- Do not record a statement with either insurance company without talking to an attorney, if at all possible. If you are reading this after already recording a statement, then don't worry. If there is a problem from your recording an attorney will be able to help you out.
- DO NOT sign anything without reading very carefully, the insurance adjusters want you to close this car accident claim as fast as possible. Be careful, the insurance company will try to offer you cash up front for your signature to close the claim. If you do this you are not entitled to receive any medical treatment, and you are not allowed to sue them for more money if you end up having a more serious injury.
- Document, document document. Did I say document? Get a small notebook and write down how you are feeling, what you can't do because of the accident, any issues the accident caused. Try to update this at minimum weekly. This will help you a lot when you are ready to settle.
- Be consistent with your medical care, gaps in treatment can harm claims and can make it more likely the adjuster will close your claim early.
- See a medical doctor at the beginning, the middle and the end of your car accident claim. Your medical doctor will strengthen your claim with the insurance companies.
- Don't over treat. What does this mean you ask? Well, it can be hard to define this, but what I try to explain, is that your treatments must be related to your accident, the adjusters are looking for reasons to close all car accident claims by paying out the smallest amount possible. If anyone on your team suggests you treat more to raise your insurance claim, FIRE THEM. You will risk losing your whole claim.
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